Monty
chihuahua Mix | male | 6 months Old | 6 Lbs
QUICK FACTS: ✔️ Good with other dogs! ✔️ Good with kids! ✔️ Good for beginner dog owner! ❌ Working on potty training!
Monty found his forever home on March 15, 2022!
Updates
PUPDATE 2
Monty here! I’ve been making so much progress, my foster mom said I should write a pupdate.
First of all, my potty training has come a long way! Since I had my neuter a few weeks ago, I’ve stopped marking in the house, even when there is another male dog in the house. I have also gotten a lot better about not having potty accidents. I’m not 100% yet, but my foster parents have started to leave me out of the kennel at night and I don’t usually have accidents. My foster parents put up the water bowl at night so I don’t drink water all night, and this helps me be more successful at not having accidents in the house. They also leave out a potty pad for me, in case I really need to go at night!
As you know, I’m not a big fan of the crate. I bark and whine to get out (I settle down eventually, but in the past I would wake up throughout the night and bark). Since I really don’t chew on non-toys when I’m left out, and my potty training is getting better, my foster parents have been leaving me out of the crate at night. Not being in the kennel means I’m more likely to sleep through the night without barking. I’d really love to sleep in the bed with the humans, but for now I sleep on a blanket on the couch.
I’m looking forward to warm weather. I really like to go on walks and I’ve gone a few long walks on warmer days, but most of the time my foster mom says its too cold to take me on walks with the big dogs (even though I really want to go!).
I’m still a sweet snuggle bug and looking forward to finding my furever family!
PUPDATE 1
Monty was rescued by a good Samaritan out of a bad situation before finding his way to Fetch. Because of that, we don’t 100% know how old he is, but best guess is 6 months to a year old. He’s a young guy, but not quite a puppy. We believe he is at his full-grown size.
Monty is a tiny snuggle bug and loves human attention. He loves to sit with you on the couch and to be held. He’s done great with our two-year-old human child. The second day he was in our foster house, we found that he’d jumped onto the couch and was sitting on our daughter’s lap while she watched TV. He’s also very tolerant of her hugging him. Of course, any potential adopter with kids should keep in mind his very small size since he could easily get hurt if he were dropped or stepped on.
Monty is crated at night and when we leave the house. While Monty will settle down in his crate at night, he often wakes up in the night and barks to be let out, including at 5:00 in the morning when you might prefer to be sleeping. I assume he also shows this behavior when we are out of the house. Given this, he might not be the best apartment dog (though he might not bark as much if left uncrated).
While it’s unlikely Monty would destroy anything if left uncrated (he’s never shown any interest in chewing on things), we crate him because he’s not fully potty trained. When Monty first came to our home, he was not neutered and wanted to “mark.” Now that he is neutered, his urge to mark should decrease. However, he still has potty accidents frequently (though he is getting better the longer he’s been with us). Unfortunately, chihuahuas are very stubborn and hard to potty train. Monty is not the dog for you if you can’t tolerate accidents in the house. The rate of accidents also goes up dramatically in winter and especially on those very cold days (we have a resident chihuahua and she tends to have a lot more accidents in the house in the winter). Monty says “I’m tiny! It’s so cold!! Let’s move to a warmer place!” One option would be to “pee pad” train Monty, but that isn’t something his foster parents have taken on.
Monty does well with other dogs and he’s been around several other dogs in his current foster home, most of them being bigger than him (because most dogs are bigger than him). He’s shown some interest in playing with other dogs, but again, given his size, an adopter would need to be careful so he doesn’t get hurt
Monty was positive for Ehrlichiosis, a tick-borne disease, in January but is not showing any clinical signs. A positive result for Ehrlichiosis just indicates antibodies to this bacteria, not necessarily active infection. Per our rescue protocol, he is currently being given a round of antibiotics.
Monty is a medium to medium-low energy dog, despite his young age.He does not need a lot of exercise, but on the warmer days he’s shown interest in taking short walks (short walks because he gets cold quickly). I’m sure when it’s warm again, Monty will enjoy going on longer walks. Like most chihuahuas, he probably enjoys the heat and the sun. For now, we usually have him in a fleece coat or a sweatshirt to keep him warm.